Fifth-wheel.



; PATENTEDTDEG. 25,1906.

F SCHMIDT FIFTH WHEEL urmon iox FILED .nov. if); m5.

, residing in West Bend, in the county of Washington and State ofWisconsin, have in-' UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

I FREDERICK SCHMIDT, OF WEST BEND, WISCONSIN.

. FIFTH-WHEEL.

Specification of LetterszPatent.

Application filed November 10, 1905. Serial No. 286,639.

. Patented. Dec. 25, 1 906.

ToaZZ whom/it may concern.-

Be it known'that I, FREDERICK SCHMIDT,

vented new and useful Im rovements in Fifth-Wheels, of which the folowing is a description, reference being'had to the accompanyingdrawings, which are a part of this specification. I

My invention has relation to improvements in fifth-wheels.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improvedconstruction of. fifthan under view of my invention.

vice when occupying its proper position, and

Fig' 3 is'a front end vlew.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 4 .4 indicate two arms,preferably in the form The front ends of arms 9 are connected by theupper circular member 11 of the fifthof merger.

of a casting andprovided with depending bearings5 5 for the axle (notshown) of the wheel. These arms gradually converge and merge into eachother rearwardly and are formed into a rounded crotch 6 at the point Thefront ends of the arms are connected by the lower circular member 7 ofthe fifth-wheel, the said member being preferably formed in the samecasting or integral with the arms. The upper surface of this circularmember is shouldered at opposite edges, as indicated by the numerals 88, and said upper surface from shoulder to shoulder is of convex form.

Above the arms 4 are other arms 9, and bridging these arms is a bolster10, preferably in one casting or integral with the arms.

wheel, which is also preferably in one casting or integral with thearms. This upper member ofrthe fifth-wheel in concavo-convex incross-section, and its concavity fits the convex surface of the lowermember of the fifth' wheel, the lower edges of said upper member restingupon the shoulders 8 8. The two arms 9 also converge andmergednto eachother rearwardly, and, from the point of merger extend two divergentarms 12 12,to which" armsthe forward ends oflthe reachbars (not shown)are connected. The rearwardly-extending "divergent arms are alsopreferably in one casting or integral with the arms 9. v

Depending from the arms'9 at thezpoint of merger thereofis a pin 13,which'fits in the rounded crotch '6 and is provided at its lower endwith an enlargement or head-'14, which bears against the undersideof-the-merged ends of the arms 4, and thereby not only assists'inholding'the two parts together,'but also forms the center of oscillationof the From the foregoing description it will be -seen that I provide amost simple form of fifth-wheel wherein the necessity of employing theusual king-bolt, which has heretofore been subjected to considerablestrain,is entirely obviated and the entire strain is trans-' ferreddirectly to the two members of the fifth-wheel.

It will be'further noticed that my construction is such that the twoupper arms 9, the upper circle 11 of the fifth-wheel, thebridging-bolster 10 the pin 13, and the rearwardly-diverging arms 12 mayall be made in one casting and integraland that also the lower arms 4and the lower member 7 of the fifth wheel may also be in one casting orintegral. By this provision a considerable saving in cost of manufactureis effected.

In order to prevent the two members of the fifth-wheel from separatingto any considerable .extent, I prefer to provide one of the members (thelower member being shown as .a retrwardly-extending projection, anotherfifth-wheel member movably fitted to the first-named fifth-wheel member,and provided with a rearwardly-extending projection superimposed uponthe rearwardly-extending projection of the firstna'med fifthwheelmember, and the upper of said rearwardly-extnding projections providedat its rear end and at its center with a downwardlyextending pinengaging a rounded crotch at therear end and center of the otherrearwardly-projecting extension, the lower end of said pin provided withan enlargement or head bearing against the lower rearwardlyextendingprojection, the said pin forming the center of oscillation for thefifth-wheel and the headed lower end thereof maintaining the rear endsof the rearwardly-extending projections against separation.

3. In a fifth-wheel, the combination with arms converging and mergingrearwardly and connected at their forward ends by a circular fifth-wheelmember, of superimposed arms connected at their forward ends by anotherfifth-wheel member, said arms also converging and merging rearwardly,and the said fifth-wheel members movably fitted together so that one maymove in the arc of a circle. upon the other, and one of the set of armsat the .point of merger provided with a projecting pin engaging arounded crotch at the point of merger of the other set of arms, the saidpin forming the center of oscillation for the fifth-wheel.

. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

FREDERICK SCHMIDT.

I itnesses:

'. ANNA F. SCHMIDTBAUER,

A. L. MoRsELL.

